The Previous "Best Teams Ever"

It seems like every couple of years, we hear about how a defending national champion with a huge amount of returning talent is not only the favorites to win it all, but possibly the greatest team college football has ever seen. I took a quick look at some recent favorites to see if we could draw any paralells to today.

The Year - 2002
The Team - Miami Hurricanes
What They Were Saying:
What They Were Saying:
" For the third straight year the Canes return All American Ken Dorsey as their starting quarterback and again at his disposal are more weapons than he could possibly know what to do with. One of his favorite targets does return in super junior WR Andre Johnson, who by now has enough publicity to find himself on a few pre-season All-American list."

Key Losses From the Year Before: WR Santana Moss, 1 LB, 1 DT

End Result: Lost to Ohio St in the national championship

The Year - 2005
The Team - USC Trojans
What They Were Saying:
"The Trojans' offense will be one of the best the college game has ever seen. Their defense will be a work in progress. Therefore, expect some 45-35 victories early in the season before USC's annual, midseason kick into overdrive."

"Can anyone beat the Trojans in 2005?
Most believe that answer is a resounding no. There hasn't been a preseason college football poll publicized outside of Austin, Texas that doesn't have USC No. 1. Even if the Trojans lose a game, it'll most likely be considered a fluke and voters could easily have USC playing in the Rose Bowl, home of the national championship game, while an undefeated team plays elsewhere. And the Trojans are so ridiculously loaded that few will disagree with the realities of the system."

"There is a very good chance the first two picks of the 2006 NFL draft will be senior quarterback Matt Leinart and junior tailback Reggie Bush. And not necessarily in that order, either. Sure, Leinart would have easily been the top pick this year. It would have taken San Francisco about 1.3 seconds to blurt his name out."

The Key Losses From the Year Before: WR Mike Williams, 2 DTs, 1 LB

End Result: Lost to Texas in the National Championship

The Year - 2009
The Team - Florida Gators
What they were saying:
"The Gators will enter the season as the prohibitive favorite to win their second straight national titleand third in four years. They return every starter from a nasty defensive unit and will be led offensively by Tim Tebow, one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Georgia has lost both Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to the NFL and Tennessee is in rebuilding mode under Lane Kiffin, so the Gators should breeze through their SEC East schedule. It's unclear whether anyone from the SEC West can challenge Florida, either."

"Tim Tebow returning almost seems unfair for the rest of the competition. There are no limits for this offense with him at the helm again. The entire defense not only returns every starter, but the back ups as well."

The Key Losses From the Year Before: 3 OL starters, Percy Harvin.

End Result: This team did almost win out, until it ran into Bama in the SEC Championship. That was the game that made Tebow cry and gave Myer heart palpitations.

The Year - 2013
The Team - Alabama Crimson Tide
What they were saying:
"The two-time defending champs are overflowing with experience on both sides of the ball. Quarterback AJ McCarron should garner more respect than he does, and with the exception of a trip to College Station, the schedule sets up beautifully for Saban's crew. Expect 'Bama to notch a three-peat."

The Key Losses From the Year Before: 2 Guards, 1 OT, RB Eddie Lacy, CB Dee Milliner

So what does this tell us? Well, the group-think that creates these "best teams ever" is usually wrong, but not super wrong... USC and Miami made it to the national championship, while Florida was only a game away from it... These teams are all beatable, but not commonly so... I had hoped to get something a little more informative than that. I guess maybe if I'd included Oklahoma in 2011, or Georgia in 2008, but I'm not sure those teams really fit the mold. What do you guys think? Does this make you feel better or worse?